Westheimer Natural History Museum

[Highrise Tower]

wow! Was this museum ever built? Or was this the original name for the Houston Museum of Natural Science located at 5555 Hermann Park Drive?

Anyone know about this?

Edit: This was located inside the city library? Or a new wing was built?

Westheimer Natural History Museum

An important development of the year 1923 was the acceptance by the Trustees of the Attwater Natural History collection, presented by Mr. Sigmund J. Westheimer, on condition that space be set aside for it in the new building. This collection was purchased by Mr. Westheimer as the nucleolus of a Natural History Museum that he hopes to see established in Houston.  During December 1924, in order that some of the birds and other specimens might be shown, Mr. Westheimer placed several cases in the West Alcove of the Carnegie Building where they are viewed by patrons of the library. Mr. Westheimer's action in saving the Attwaer collection for Houston is appreciated and his plan of seeing started here a Natural History Museum, will be fruitful of fine results.

In the four years since the library tax of 2 ½ cents on the hundred dollars valuation voted in 1921, has given better financial support and made library extension possible, the library's use has increased nearly 100%. This rapid growth has been hard to provide for in the present inadequate quarters and satisfactory service would have been impossible had it not been for the energetic and faithful service of the library staff.

In the building program a fine spirit of cooperation also exited between the Mayor and City Commissioners and the Library Board with the one end of accomplishing the purpose of the institution in a most worthy way.

In October 1921, the Board decided in order to embrace the whole system, to change the name of the library to Houston Public Library.

[Dave W]

Yes, this is the foundation of what became the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

[Dave W]

@Highrise Tower

I just noticed your edit. The displays were in a wing of the existing Carnegie Building, which was replaced by the new Central Library (now the Julia Ideson Building) in 1926. The collection, or most of it, was displayed in the new building until it was moved to the zoo, where it stayed until the current building was built in the 1960s.